Difference Between Seal and Sea Lion (With Table)

In all water bodies, there are millions of species found. Various aquatic animals and plants are found under oceans, seas, rivers, lakes, and ponds. Out of millions of species, the two most interesting species are seals and sea lions, both of them are marine members.

Also they are known as ‘pinnipeds’ since they differ in adaptations and characteristics. Both of them look alike but there is a huge difference between them.

Seals and Sealions along walrus are known as pinnipeds which mean “fin-footed” in Language Latin. Seals do have front feet stubby and thinly flippers webbed. Also, they have claws with small toes. Whereas sealions do have outer ears with small flaps.

Whereas seals do not have ears. In seals, there are small holes near sleek heads. Sea lions are quite noisy as compared to seals which are quiet and vocal.

What is Seal?

Seals are the mammals that breathe in air and are known to be warm-blooded. Seals can be found near the sea or in the sea. It is one of the species out of many such as common seals, fur seals and sea lions.

Since seals can survive in or out of the sea, it is also known as a semi-aquatic mammal. It belongs to a category known to be Pinnipedia since it has four flippers.

The category which it belongs to contains other three groups which are eared seals(sea lions and fur seals), true or earless seals( common seals) and walrus.\

There is a theory that says that seals have evolved from land-based ancestors such as bears or otters. Seals have 33 kinds of species. Seals are found in locations such as tropic places, antarctic and Arctic.

Seals have a special fat layer that is known as blubber. It keeps seals warm when they are in cold water. And the slick fur coat that covers it helps them to glide through the water.

Seal

What is Sea Lion?

Sea Lions are another aquatic mammal that belongs to the category Pinnipedia. Sea Lion and another mammal called fur seals belong to the Otariidae family, which is known as eared seals.

Sea lions have seven species in total and those species are known as Japanese Sea Lion, South America Sealion, New Zealand Sea Lion, Galapagos Sea Lion, Australian Sea Lion, Steller Sea Lion, California Sea Lion.

Sea lions are aquatic mammals that have a torpedo-shaped long body which lets them adapt to gliding in water.Sea lions can easily move out of water. Sea Lions have good eyesight and nearsighted.Sea Lions can see much better in water than on land.

Sea Lions stay in big colonies and they all remain close together in both land and water. Within large colonies, they have sub colonies.

Sea lions are swimmers and they can cover speeds of 25 miles for every hour. Also, they are capable of swimming 10 miles each hour and they can increase their speed when they are threatened.

Sea Lion

Main Differences Between Seal and Sea Lion

One of the main differences between Sea Lions and Seals is that sea lions do have big ear flaps whereas seals have only ear holes.

Sea lions can easily walk, since they have long hairless fore flippers, whereas sea lions need to walk like a caterpillar since they have short and hairy fore flippers with long claws.

Seals do need to wiggle on their belly to do movement and they need to keep hind flippers straight. But sea lions can use their fore flippers like the wings of a bird.

Sea lions have long and smooth whiskers, whereas seals have beaded and crimped whiskers.

Sea lions are quite noisy since they live in colonies whereas seals live in water for most of the time. Also, sea lions bark and below to communicate with each other and seals communicate with soft voices.

Sea lions have special rotating hip bones that allow them to tuck to the flippers they have at the rear. Also, it supports the bodyweight on four flippers. Whereas seals do not have such bone, and their movement is quite different from the sea lions. They need to shift their weight while moving to an fro, also many times they roll to their destination.

Sea lions are of dark chestnut brown colour whereas seals are of brownish-black colour and white and grey colour. Seals can be categorized as the grey seal and harbour seal, if we talk about the colour, also seals are known to be the cousin of sea lions.

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Conclusion

Like all other aquatic animals, seals and sea lions are some of the famous marine animals. Seals are kind of sea lions and another aquatic mammal known as walrus. Although they belong to the same family, there are still some differences.

Well, for an individual it is easy to point out walrus and seal, but distinguishing between seal and sea lions is quite confusing. Sea lions are also known as fur seals and seals with ears are known as true seals.

Seals and sea lions do have common characteristics, hence they are somewhat the same, but some characteristics are unique and you can distinguish between them easily. But one thing is interesting that they belong to the same family, despite differences.

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